Interview with Enshine

This year, the band releases its debut album called Origin, so Metalship takes the opportunity to talk about Enshine with Jari Lindholm!

Metalship : Hello Jari, how are you ?

Hello ! Pretty good thanks ! Hope all is well with you also.

Metalship : Let me start with a rather classic question: can you present your band for those who didn't know you yet ?

Certainly. I guess you could call the style of our music something like ambient or atmospheric/melodic doom death metal. Fans of this genre might recognize some of the other / past bands of the members which include for example Slumber, AtomA, Inborn Suffering and Fractal Gates.

One part of the quest was to find something unique, we were looking a long time for a name that no other band already had. The meaning is similar to the word Illuminate. We have some lyrics with light-related themes and thought it would fit. The music is meant to Illuminate the soul and mind even if it of course has it´s dark sides aswell.

Well, one of the reasons we decided to work together would be that we liked eachothers respective bands, quite naturally. Although my first contact with his music was with his Solo-project Cold Insight which I guess is still my favourite, catchy and melodic rocking doom/death, happens to be exactly my cup of tea.

Metalship : Let’s talk about you signing with Rain Without End. How did this happen?

It was through an online friend, who connected us with the label. They liked our stuff and we liked the idea of working with a smaller and more personal label, and so far it has been working out quite nicely !

It is a journey into the mind, sort of a meditation music in metal form. Depending on your mood and the situation, I feel it is an album that can be enjoyed either in your loneliness to drift away to places far away, or in another situation to fill you with energy aswell. It has agressive and dark sides as well as more uplifting ones but with a constantly present atmosphere.

Metalship : When I listen your music, I didn’t feel the same as when I listen to other more typical doom bands. Your music is so refreshing and different. What contributes for that?

That is hard to say, but one thing could be that we always try to think of how to merge songwriting and production from the start. An idea is usually not only a riff or melody, but an idea about how everything will sound in the final product. I think it could also be the kind of trance-like elements that are not so traditionally common within the genre.

Metalship : What song is the song people HAVE to check out if they want the best idea of what Enshine is all about?

As the songs differ somewhat from eachother it is always hard to name just one. Usually I have liked to present the songs "Nightwave" and "Stream of Light" to get the different sides of the album. But "Nightwave" was the first one we released so I guess to narrow it down, that would be the one.

Metalship : Could you explain to us the concept of the album ?

It is not a concept album in any way, as the songs are quite individual and have their own meanings. But some of the lyrics and visual themes relate to things like out of body experiences, the inner world of the mind, science fiction related things to name a few.

Metalship : Are you personnaly totally satisfied with Origin ? What are your favourite songs?

I think as a creator of music or any art, it is impossible to be 100% satisfied with your work. There´s always something. And that´s good, because that leaves something to improve for the future. I think the day I do something I´m 100% satisfied with, that will be the last album I do.

Metalship : What was the recording process like for the album?

I worked very much individually with each musician, after making demo recordings at home of the complete album. First rehearsing and recording drums with Oscar for some time in and then recording the guitars with a scratch bass. After that me and Siavosh wrote the final bass parts and recorded them in the same sessions. Later Seb came up to Sweden and we recorded all the vocal parts here. I spent about a year mixing the album, sometimes during long nights after work and then going straight back to work from the studio.

Metalship : Origin is just out, how was it received by the fans and the media?

Most of the reviews have been very positive, and many people have written to us because they like the album. Of course there are always people who expected something other than what it is aswell, but you cannot always please everyones taste. For the most part, I don´t read too much comments in forums and so, everyone have their opinions and we just do what who do and let everyone decide for themselves what to think about it. But sometimes people write something directly to us and I enjoy having the personal contact with the fans.

Metalship : How did you feel when reading your band’s name on many Top Albums of the Year lists?

That is always a great and awesome feeling of course !

Metalship : Some people think that Enshine is the perfect mix between Slumber and AtomA. Are you agree with them?

It may not be the completely intentional but I guess there is some truth to it. Of course it follows a lot in the traditions of Slumber and the elements of AtomA may have come naturally into the picture as a product of having worked with the Skylight album for a long time.

Metalship : What are the band’s plans for the following year?

I am planning to go to France once again to continue writing more songs for the next album, as we started with last year. When that is finished we will start preparing for another album recording which will take place here in Sweden, at least for the most part.

Metalship : To promote your album, do you plan to realize a videoclip?

Nothing planned right now, we only have the ones we released before the album release. But it is still possible that could happen.

Metalship : Now, let’s talk about concerts. Can we expect to see Enshine on stage some day?

I think we will make that happen and we have some loose plans for things like this. Of course rehearsing regularly is a bit complicated because we live far apart, but we are thinking of ways to arrange some gigs.

Slumber is not an active band anymore and I don´t see anything happening on that front. I cannot really speak for AtomA as I´m not a member of the band, Seas of Years however I am very much active with at the moment and we are writing new material for another release. It is also quite possible that the debut EP will be released on cd sometime soon !

Metalship : What are your last top bands you discovered and what have you mostly listened to recently?

Metalship : What are the professions of the band members and do any of you have any interesting hobbies beside making music?

Seb is a graphic designer by profession. I work since some years in a store that sells construction materials, but will start also in a second part time job soon working with computer solutions for visually impaired people among other things. I also record and mix other bands music sometimes.

Metalship : Thank you for your precious time Jari. As tradition dictates, I let you the final word!

I´d like to say thanks for the interview, and also thanks to all of those who read it for the interest in our band !

Did you know ?
Bassist Deni Guenard of Burning Caskets almost became a member of Rotting, but declined due to distance. Years later, Deni joined Burning Caskets with now former Rotting vocalist Korey Arnold. - More info about Burning Caskets